Two killed in remote village over run-out

Two killed in remote village over run-out
RATHI A MENON

ALLAHABAD, JANUARY 19: Badhwa, a village 45 km from Allahabad, will never play cricket again. On Monday, two young men from the village were shot dead on a cricket field. They were allegedly shot by the captain of the rival team after a dispute over an appeal for a run-out.

Badhwa was playing Giridharpur, a nearby village. The match was part of a series and Badhwa was already leading 1-0.

Badhwa was batting and the score was 16 runs after three overs. Pradip Kumar was at the crease. That was when Giridharpur appealed for a run-out. Umpire Hari Shankar Pandey turned it down. Giridharpur was furious. Pandey, incidentally, belonged to Badhwa. Pandey says the batsman had made his ground. ``How can you declare a person out when he was not?'' he says.

Sushil, the captain of Giridharpur, started fighting with the umpire. Pradip Kumar too joined the fight. Sushil allegedly asked his younger brother to fetch a gun from home.

By then, Pradip's brother, Arun Kumar who was watching from the sidelines too rushedto the field. Sushil allegedly shot him point blank. When Pradip tried to rescue his brother, he too was shot several times by another member of the Giridharpur team.

Arun is survived by his wife and son, his brother Pradip was doing his MA.

The village has decided not to play cricket again. ``It is a collective decision. We will not play this game which has taken away two of our brothers,'' says a villager.

The accused are absconding and the police have arrested Pintu, who allegedly fetched the gun. Station Officer of Kokhara, the nearest police station, A P Shukla said, ``The railway station is quite nearby and there are reports of spotting the boys at the station.''

Badhwa and Giridharpur are beyond the map of development. There are no proper roads, infrastructure or even primary facilities for healthcare. But cricket and guns have reached this backward landscape.